A new poll shows Kamala Harris substantially leading Trump on having the physical stamina and mental sharpness to be president.
ABC News reported on the latest ABC/Ipsos Poll:
In a list of other attributes, Harris leads Trump by a broad 32 points on having the physical health for the job (57%-25%), 18 points on honesty and trustworthiness (43%-25%), 10 points on mental acuity (47%-37%), 8 points on understanding the problems of people like you (41%-33%) and 7 points on representing your personal values (41%-34%). All these closely reflect pre-convention results.
On some of these, again, partisan results are striking. While 91% of Democrats see Harris favorably as a person, 72% of Republicans say the same about Trump. Among independents, 44% see Harris favorably versus 28% who see Trump favorably.
The message being sent by voters is that compared to Kamala Harris, voters think Trump is too old to be president. The number of voters who believe that Trump has the physical health (25%) and mental sharpness for the job (37%) is much lower than the ex-president’s overall support in the poll, which suggests that Trump’s age is definitely an issue for voters.
President Biden’s debate performance took his age from a concern to a disqualifying issue. Trump also performed poorly in the debate with Biden, and if he delivers a second debate that is as bad or worse than his first one, voters could also view his age as a disqualifying issue.
The difference is that Republicans are stuck with Trump.
Whether the media wants to discuss it or not, voters can see the contrast in age and mental sharpness between Harris and Trump and it seems to be hurting the Republican campaign.
The age shoe is on the other foot, and next to Kamala Harris, Donald Trump looks too old to be president.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
